BOOK CLUB 2015

How it works:

Every month we will read a book, at the end of the month on a selected day we will have a discussion via the internet. If you have a blog you can post a review on your blog and link it up to the book club review for that month. If you just have Facebook you can go to my blog's Facebook page and post your opinions there. I know I was not good will book club at all this year but 2015 will be totally different. 

BOOKS 

January: Unbroken  by Laura Hillenbrand. An amazing WWII novel about how resilient the human spirit is. I may have already read this book but it is so good I am going to read it again. It is inspiring and I think it will help us stay motivated throughout 2015. 

February: Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.

 June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.

Seems like an interesting love story intertwined with self discovery, plus I love war novels so I hope everyone else likes this book too. 

March: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I think all of us can relate to this novel in one way or another. It's about a girl in college who blogs about her favorite TV show. The show is her life and she's having a hard time letting it go. 

April: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. Another love story set in modern times about putting another person's happines above your own. Seems like it will be a quick read. 

May: The Guernesy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows.

Another WWII novel (what can I say) about the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans who made the inhabitants stay on the island the duration of the war. It's actually a very interesting situation and I know many anthropologists have studied the behavior that happened on the islands during occupation. This book is about a book club that existed on the island, and about the man who ran it. Without going into too much detail the book is based on the man writing a letter to a woman off the island, she began corresponding with him and eventually went to Guernsey to see what it was about. 

June: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson. A light read, perfect for a day by the pool in summer. This is a sweet  love story between childhood friends and how the two came to realize their love. 

July: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. The story about Ernest Hemingway (author) and his wife Hadley. I'm excited to read about how they met and feel in love, from excerpts I have seen it is clear that Ernest thought the world of Hadley and I love it when love stories are like that. 

August: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Derr. Another WWII love story emphasizing the ways people are generally good, even during hard times. 

September: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Just because I miss reading about Harry and sometimes we can use a little bit of magic in our lives. 

October: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. What better book to read during Octoboer? Jane Eyre is rather gloomy and can be dry at times but I love the story and the characters. 

November: A book of your choice! This month will be busy so I think it will be fun to have everyone choose a book they love/ haven't read and have been wanting to. That way I can get more ideas for book club in 2016 and I can add more books to my list. 

December: Yes Please by Amy Poehler. I love her, so I know this will be a good read and pretty light for December. 

Well there you have it! I hope you join in and you have fun reading.

XO 

Caitlin

Summer Reads

I love to read you guys. Reading is probably one of my favorite things and I am so grateful to my mom for instilling this passion into me. I always remember her reading, sometimes in the kitchen in between cooking different food for dinner, sitting on the blue stool consumed by a good book. She read to us before we went to bed and I am grateful I inherited this same passion and love for reading.

Summer is the best time for reading, I love sitting by the pool with a good book, or in a tent while camping. One of my favorite memories is as a teenager I brought up an anthology book of Jane Austen works and read Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park all in one week. Reading helped get me through my depression, when it was really bad and to this day I know that I can always count on a good book to help me through tough times. 

A few books I have read this summer and have thoroughly enjoyed:

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A sweet love story about a girl and a boy who spend a day in New York together. All they have is that one day, and its neat to watch the story unfold of their friendship and love. This was a book that relaxed me at the end of the day.

For those of you who love murder mysteries:

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I love the main character in this series, Sadie Hoffmiller. She is a little nosy as a neighbor and a little too neat and perfect, the story was captivating and Kilpack through in curve balls when I least expected them. A great read if you like to work through the story to find out who did it. 

For those of you who love regency era novels:

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Loved this novel, very similar to Jane Eyre, but more on the lighter happier side. It left me smiling and wanting more. Luckily for me there was another book that came out this year by the same author:

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A fascinating story much like Mansfield Park, in my opinion, except again on the lighter side and easier to read. I loved everything about this book, especially the talk of birds and landscapes, it painted pretty pictures in my head for me. 

And because I was on a kick of reading works written by mainly LDS authors, I had to read Austenland:

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A wonderful take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it really puts the romantic twist on an innocent adventure taken by a girl overly obsessed with Mr. Darcy. A good read for any Jane Austen fan. And for those of you who like this book and have already read it, make sure to check out:

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A great companion to Austenland but with completely new characters. 

And for a great comedic laugh which everyone needs once in a while:

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A hilarious book showcasing how strange American culture has really become. 

For my Y.A. readers and to keep up with the current trends:

The Selection Series

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These books are based on a mix between Divergent and The Bachelor. A great read for all those teenage girls out there and any teachers who want to know what the hype was all about. It took me about 3 hours tops to read all the books and I would bet a movie is on its way. 

There you have it, my summer reading list. 

XO

Caitlin